“Wait,” I began. “This is something else. Look at the shape of the room.”
Indeed, the space was now rectangular and elongated. We had fallen into one end of it, with a smooth and empty space between us and the opposite end. The stone bricks were smooth, and, no matter how hard I pushed them, they wouldn’t budge. There was some type of kinetic energy keeping it all together, sealed and unbreakable. The floor was made up of large, square tiles.
The Soul Crusher laughed. “Congratulations. You passed the first stage of my puzzle. Took you long enough, but hey, it’s the end result that matters, right?”
Raphael straightened his back, keeping Amelia close, unwilling to let go of her. “You mean to tell me we’re not done yet? After all you put us through?”
“Did you really think it would be so easy to get Zetos? Seriously?” the Soul Crusher replied. “You can’t be this naïve.”
What part of what we’d just survived had been easy? What was “easy” to someone like him? Letting a deep sigh roll out of my chest, I braced myself for the worst that was yet to come—that much was obvious.
“He’s not done with us,” I said. “This is another challenge.”
Riza pulled her curly hair back and wrung the water out as best as she could. “I’ve just about had enough of this crap.” She stepped forward across several tiles, until a click made her stop and freeze in that position.
I could see the tile she’d stilled on. It had sunk slightly, just enough to point out the horrible truth. There was a trap beneath it, and Riza had just armed it. Moving away from it without the proper precautions could result in serious injuries or, worse, death.
“Whatever you do, don’t move,” I said to her.
Herakles was ashen, unable to say anything. He just stared at Riza, likely struggling to formulate a coherent thought.
“I kind of figured that one out already,” Riza murmured, staring back at me with wide eyes filled with amethyst-colored horror.
We’d gotten out of one mess, and we’d stumbled into another. This was different. And much worse. None of us dared to move, our gazes fixed on Riza and our minds galloping through multiple scenarios as we tried to figure out a way to survive this next part of the Soul Crusher’s challenge.
We’d come out of that first room stronger together, and all the wiser.
But Zetos was yet to be within our reach. More traps awaited, instead.
Sofia
We reached Pax smoothly, and Kafei was able to perform the second interplanetary spell. Yahwen’s solar system glimmered in the distance, clearly visible in the black night sky. Pax was a barren world which lacked an atmosphere, reminding me mostly of Mars in terms of terrain and overall appearance.
Life had once thrived here, but that was part of a chapter long-since closed. Civilizations had called this place home, but something had happened to destroy it all. Ramin’s guess seemed closest to the truth. “It must’ve died during one of the ritual attempts,” he said, as Kafei was helped back into the shuttle after finishing the interplanetary spell’s pentagram.
Mona, Kiev, Corrine, and Ibrahim had already brought out the serium batteries, connecting them to the shuttle’s pilot system. The control panel had been fitted with two palm-shaped screens linked to the batteries, and Kafei would use it in order to steer the ship and the spell from here to Yahwen.
“Death must’ve annihilated one or more of Pax’s Hermessi,” I said, gazing out into the streaks of red-and-white desert. “It’s sad…”
“She must’ve thought it was best,” Ramin replied. “Otherwise, she would’ve… I don’t know, made new Hermessi, like me.”
“Without understanding her selective reasoning on these previously affected planets, we can’t really tell what she was thinking,” Derek said. “Maybe the people here were evil, or maybe they were bound to die out, eventually. Pax could’ve been headed for its own demise already, before Death’s intervention against the Hermessi. But, then again, they’re all speculations.”
“It doesn’t really matter, if you think about it,” Ramin mused. “Not everything gets to exist forever. Where there’s a beginning, there should be an end. I know it normally applies to you living creatures, but I’ve often believed that all the entities of this universe should be subject to the same rules. Immortality can lead to… madness, sometimes.”
“Are you, perhaps, referring to Brendel?” Claudia asked him.
The Fire Hermessi of Neraka nodded. “She’s been around for longer than any of us. Kabbah, too. Though he was able to step away from the ritual fantasy. I’m not sure when that happened. Maybe he helped her during the first few tries, every other four or five million years.”
“But, then again, madness is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results each time,” Claudia said, bitterly amused. “Kabbah learned that the ritual would never work, while Brendel found a way to make it happen by depriving Death of Thieron.”
“We’re about to take off,” Kafei interjected, positioning herself in front of the control panel. Corrine and Ibrahim flanked her, eager to help if she required additional energy. She began whispering her spell chant, and the light bubble expanded outside and all around our shuttle.
Derek and I resumed our seats and strapped ourselves in, as did Claudia, Yuri, Mona, Kiev, and the other members of our crew. Ramin stood in the middle as the light bubble took off along with our shuttle. The ride was bound to get bumpy without a destination—Kafei was a strong swamp witch apprentice, but not a full swamp witch. Nevertheless, we trusted her, and so did Kailani, who’d urged her to assist us.
I would’ve been perfectly happy with Kailani helping us, but she was needed on Calliope, where the first affected fae had died, putting the others at risk. I was more comfortable knowing that Corrine and Ibrahim’s granddaughter was working with the Reapers to keep the remaining fae in the sanctuary safe—their efforts were limited, but better than nothing.
Kafei didn’t speak much, but she was focused. On top of that, she had a sister to avenge. Acantha had died to get Eirexis, and Kafei had a massive bone to pick with Brendel and the other Hermessi over this. If our endeavor got us any closer to disrupting the ritual, then Kafei was totally on board.
“I must leave you now,” Ramin said, surprising us all.
“Wait. I thought you were coming with us. To help us,” Derek replied, his brow furrowed.
“I am of no use on board this ship,” Ramin explained. “I’ve summoned the remaining rebels to meet me outside Yahwen’s solar system. We’ll help you from there.”
I understood then what he and the others were planning. Yahwen was bound to be tighter on security, and we’d discussed this already as a clear possibility. Ramin and his rebel Hermessi were going to tackle the ritual Hermessi, giving us a better shot at a smooth and safe landing on Yahwen.
“You are brave and crazy to do this,” I said. “You know Brendel will want you all captured or killed.”
“I’m aware. She won’t kill me, though. I’ve stripped Ledar of his succession powers, and Neraka is of logistical importance to Brendel,” Ramin replied. “She won’t risk losing it by killing me.”
“How so, I wonder?” Corrine asked. “I thought she wanted all living creatures gone. Why does Neraka need to still be alive from that point of view, for Brendel to use it? She’ll still be able to work with the three remaining Hermessi once you’re dead, right?”
“I often wondered about this, but I only got my answer recently, after some serious thought.” Ramin sighed. “Brendel doesn’t just want a new dawn with fresh life forms. She wants to control them. She wants to be a supreme god among the Hermessi and the people they will bring to life.”
“Oh, wow, that’s taking micromanagement to a whole new level,” Claudia muttered, shaking her head with disgust.
“It’s probably why Death has stopped her before,” Ramin said.
